Baba had instructed Aloba to find a man from Ratnagiri to take Mohammed on the ship. Aloba did this. Mohammed left, although he was weeping when he departed. After six months passed, Baba wrote Aloba, informing him to bring Mohammed for a day. Aloba cut out a picture of the mast from the book The Perfect Master , and gave it to a man who then found Mohammed and brought him back to Bombay.
Mohammed was taken to Baba for a day on 9 January. Baba worked with him for a few hours, and gave him a bath and a new kafni. Mohammed told Baba, "I want to go back to Ratnagiri." Although Aloba was by now completely fed up with looking after the mast, Baba ordered him to take Mohammed back to Bombay. Aloba had no choice but to comply. On the train returning, Mohammed gave a lot of trouble and by the time they arrived in Bombay, Aloba was on the verge of tears.
At Meherabad, according to Baba's order, the dhuni was to be lit on Monday, 12 January 1942, in memory of Upasni Maharaj, and everyone fasted that day. Baba came down from the hill at 6:45 P.M. He looked at the photographs of Upasni Maharaj and his own which had been placed near the dhuni by the Table Cabin. He sat on a wicker chair facing west, after being garlanded by Pappa, to whom Baba had given the privilege of lighting the dhuni. When Baba gave the signal, Pappa lit it, and at Baba's order, Pendu, Padri, Pappa, Sidhu and Vishnu (who were the only men allowed to be present) each placed a stick of sandalwood on the fire. Some of them also took darshan by bowing to the fire.
As soon as the fire was beginning to blaze, Baba made a few remarks:
For me, there is no pleasure in the uncertainties of life, as I know everything. The only pleasure for me is to lighten the burden of my appointed duties.
Today is a day of great significance — today the tide of events is turning. Just as the fire is all ready and needs only the match put to it, now, it is as if it were a quarter to seven and it will soon be seven o'clock. And when that time comes, I will apply the match [to my work]. One great soul and one of my intimate [men] mandali will shortly pass away.